Venice Offers Separate Ferries for Residents versus Visitors

The city of Venice is searching for a solution to overcrowding that disrupts everyday life during the peak tourist season. The influx of summer crowds always coincides with protests from residents who complain that the extra bodies seriously hinder their ability to meet daily obligations.

Officials are proposing a transportation fix to cull delays residents face in ferry lines. Now there will be two lines: one for Venetians and one for visitors.

Residents, or those in possession of a subscription pass, will have access to a separate queue. Visitors brandishing standard tickets will have to wait together for a different ferry.

The measure is meant to make the city more livable for its workers and to mitigate the impact of crowds by making tourism more sustainable.

The city has already begun experimenting with the different queues this week. The Rialto stop on Line 2 will now have two queues from 4.00pm to 8.30pm every day until the end of summer.

The city council hopes to expand the project and improve transportation further by replacing several piers between now and 2012.